


Aftershocks

by Anthemyst



Series: Generations Past and Future - Companion Fics [6]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Gen, One-Shots, So many OCs, next gen fic, no regrets
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-21
Updated: 2020-01-21
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:35:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22342687
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anthemyst/pseuds/Anthemyst
Summary: In the wake of the Order's defeat, Paris begins to heal.A companion piece toWhere Have All The Heroes Gone And Where Are All The Gods?
Series: Generations Past and Future - Companion Fics [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/673022
Comments: 4
Kudos: 25





	Aftershocks

_April 2044_

_Five months before the Occupation_

“Are you all right?” Ferdinand Benavente asked his husband gently.

Jonathan nodded slowly. They sat next to each other on their couch in silence for a while. Jonathan twisted the cat collar around his fingers while Ferd waited patiently. “Twenty-two is… it’s pretty old, right?” Jonathan finally said. “For a cat?”

“Ancient,” Ferd said.

“And he didn’t suffer at all.” Jonathan’s eyes were dry, but his voice was huskier than usual. “I’m fine,” he added defensively, in response to nothing that Ferd had said out loud. “I’m feeling your grief too, you know.”

“I know.”

“Just-” Jonathan hesitated. “I know you’re really good friends with Claire, but could we wait for a while? Not forever, just until I’m ready?”

Ferd wrapped an arm around Jonathan’s shoulders and kissed his temple. “Of course.”

* * *

_November 2044_

_Two months into the Occupation_

“Ferd! Ferdinand!”

A quick bolt of fear shot through Ferd’s heart as he heard his name shouted in the street, until he realized he recognized the voice and it wasn’t a guard at all. “Claire?”

The middle-aged woman’s arms were around him instantly. “I’ve missed you,” she said.

Ferd hugged her back just as warmly. “I’ve missed you, too, Claire. I’m sorry I haven’t been by. Things are a bit hectic in the family right now.”

“I’ve been meaning to call you, we’ve got this orange boy in, sweetest thing in the world, starts purring the second you look at him, he’s just perfect for you two.”

“Oh, no,” Ferd said quickly. “No, I’m sorry, I don’t… We’re not ready yet.”

“It’s been seven months, of course you’re ready. I know Mercutio was special, but that’s why helping a new cat is exactly what you two need.”

“It’s not just that, it’s…” Ferd tried to think of how to refuse Claire without saying anything about how feeding a cat would be impossible once he and Jonathan were inevitably arrested for treason. “Well, it’s not a very good time for us right now.”

Claire’s left eyebrow shot up. “Not a good time for _you_?” she repeated, somewhat incredulously. Her eyes darted back and forth quickly and her voice dropped. “Look around, Ferd, in case you hadn’t noticed it’s not a good time for anybody right now.”

Ferd sighed. “I know, but-”

“Do you know how many loving pet owners have been shot in the past two months?”

Ferd winced. “I’m sorry, we just can’t right now. We’re barely ever home, anyway. Jonathan’s nephew and his wife died suddenly. Car crash,” he added quickly, not wanting to give Claire the wrong-or, well, the _right_ -idea. “His sister had to take her three grandkids in. Jonathan’s over there practically every hour of the day.”

“Oh.” Claire’s expression softened a bit. “That’s terrible, I’m sorry.” She managed to hold back for five whole seconds. “You know, kids love animals.”

Ferd smiled, then leaned forward and kissed Claire’s cheek. “Goodbye, Claire.”

* * *

_January 2045_

_36 hours after the end of the Occupation_

Ferd’s offer to get coffee for Jonathan and his quickly-assembled team of magicians had been an entirely selfish one. He’d been feeling useless ever since helping Jonathan find the Order’s notes on the superhero prison island, he wanted to get outside and breathe some fresh air for the first time since before being arrested, and he wanted first dibs on coffee that didn’t come from the Luxembourg’s break room.

Stepping outside into a free Paris for the first time in five months was exhilarating. The world finally felt right again.

About three blocks into his walk, Ferd’s legs suddenly stopped working. He sank onto a bench before even realizing what he was doing. He tried to get up. His legs were shaking, or his arms were, or the bench was, or the city was. Ferd couldn’t tell.

“Ferd?”

Ferd looked up. “Claire?” He frowned, confused. “What are you doing here?”

Claire held up a bag. “We ran out of medical supplies at the shelter, we were grabbing rebels off the street and patching them up as best we could, but there wasn’t much capacity for… Ferd, is that _blood_?”

Ferd looked at himself. He was still wearing the outfit he’d been arrested in. “Oh. Don’t worry, it’s mine.”

“Not comforting, genius.” Claire dropped her bags unceremoniously and began a visual inspection. “Where’s the wound?”

“Oh, no, no,” Ferd said quickly. “I’m perfect now, I’m completely fine. The kid fixed me up.”

“The kid?”

“My great-nephew, Louis.”

Claire’s eyes widened. “ _Terrapin_?”

“That’s him. Good kid.”

Claire took a second to absorb this, then let it go. “If you’re fine, why are you sitting here shaking like a leaf?” She peered at his face. “When’s the last time you had a real meal?”

“I ate,” Ferd said defensively. “They didn’t arrest us until after dinner.”

Claire scowled. “I saw the news, you were arrested days ago. Men, honestly.” Claire put an arm around Ferd and hoisted him up to his feet. “Come on, there has to be something to eat somewhere around here.”

The streets, of course, were chaos. A happy chaos, to be sure, but chaos nonetheless. Most of the surrounding businesses were closed, although people were walking in and out of them as they pleased, talking and laughing and crying and taking and sharing. Claire finally dropped Ferd in front of a little bistro whose outdoor tables and chairs hadn’t been completely repurposed for nearby barricades. “Wait here,” she said. She stuck her head inside. “Hey! I need some food for a hero of the resistance out here!”

Ferd found the energy to roll his eyes. “Claire, don’t-”

“Here. Eat.” Claire dropped a basket of stale bread on the table, then set a glass of water next to it. She watched, scowling slightly, as Ferd obediently took bite after bite. “Better?” she finally asked.

“I think so.” Ferd frowned. “I thought I was fine. Why did I think I was fine?”

Claire sat down. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Ferd shrugged. “I wouldn’t know where to begin.”

“The arrest?”

“Oh. That.” Ferd took a sip of water. “We did that on purpose, actually. After the Order ID'd Marinette as Ladybug, one of Alya’s sources told us orders were to bring her and her family straight to the Luxembourg base. Only base with wards strong enough to keep Emma out, apparently. Jonathan thought up getting arrested as a way to get inside and corrupt their defenses, of course he kept insisting he could do it all himself but Adele knocked some sense into him. So Alya’s guy let it slip that Ladybug’s in-laws were hiding at our place, we got ourselves dragged off, gave our interrogators the slip, I cast about twenty corruption spells and then… you know, we got recaptured, put up with the torture and waited for the uprising.”

“Jesus. You could have died, Ferd.”

Ferd shrugged. “Yeah, well, there’s a lot of that going around lately,” he muttered.

Claire studied Ferd’s face for a while. “You’re coming with me,” she finally said.

Ferd shook his head. “I need to bring back coffee, Jonathan’s got a team working on the barrier.”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake, anybody can do that. I’ll call my sister and have her do a run, happy? You need a break, you’re coming with me.”

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Ferd was sitting in the back room of Claire’s animal shelter, waiting patiently. “Here,” Claire said, coming in with a carrier. “We’re not actually sure what this girl’s name is. Neighbors heard her crying inside the apartment three days after the occupants were both dragged off. Here.” She lifted out a round tortoiseshell shorthair and promptly deposited the cat on Ferd’s lap. “How long has it been since you pet a cat, anyway?”

“Too long.” Ferd stroked the cat gently, and she immediately began to purr. “You lost your owners, huh? You poor thing. I’m sorry. I wish-” Ferd’s voice broke, and in an instant the tears were flowing freely. “I’m sorry,” he repeated. “I’m so sorry.”

Claire put an arm around her friend. “It’s okay, Ferd.”

Ferd shook his head. “I didn’t do anything,” he sobbed. “The whole occupation I played it safe while literal children were risking their lives every day.”

“Ferd, this city wouldn’t be free again if it hadn’t been for you.”

“I risked my life once.” Ferd hugged the cat close. “Just once, and I spent the whole time I was in custody regretting it. I think if I could have taken it back, I would have. Some hero I turned out to be.”

“You did what you needed to do.” Claire waited patiently while Ferd continued to cry and hug the cat, whose purring had only grown louder as Ferd’s sobs continued.

After what felt like an eternity, Ferd recovered himself. “Sorry,” he said. “That was… probably a long time coming, honestly.”

“I can imagine.” Claire reached over and scratched the cat’s ears, but the cat’s attention stayed fixed on Ferd. “The whole time?” Claire asked softly. “You knew who the superheroes were for the entire occupation?”

Ferd nodded. “They’re just normal kids, Claire,” he said. “I don’t know how they do it. God knows I couldn’t.” He took a deep breath. “And unfortunately, it’s not quite over yet. There’s not a lot left that I can do, but I should still get back and do what I can.” He lifted the cat up and tried to hand her back. “Here you go.”

“Oh, no,” Claire said. “That’s your cat now.”

“What?” Ferd looked down at the cat. The cat looked back up at him and blinked happily. “Oh, no, I couldn’t. Not without talking to Jonathan first at least.”

Claire’s eyes lit up. “Oh, I’m so glad you brought him up,” she said. “Out of curiosity, when exactly were you planning on telling me that your husband is the man who akumatized me?”

Ferd winced. “Never, obviously. I’m sorry.”

“You’ll be a lot more sorry if you don’t take that cat home.”

* * *

Jonathan didn’t say a word when the barrier fell, though Ferd could tell he was hit hard by the enormous wave of triumph and relief from everyone around them, everyone in Paris. Jonathan, however, merely waited, and so Ferd waited with him.

Finally, over an hour later, Adele stepped into the hallway. Jonathan was up in an instant. “Did they make it?”

Adele nodded. “Everyone’s alive,” she said, though her voice was tense. “Marinette and Danielle insisted Emma save her strength only bringing back the prisoners in the worst shape, the heroes who took the worst of the Order’s attack. Louis is directing the healing efforts now. The rest of the prisoners are being evacuated now. Marinette and Danielle will come back with them.”

“And Adrien,” Jonathan said. “Right?”

Adele bit her lip, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes. “He’s in there,” she said, nodding her head towards the room she’d just left. “He was Louis’ top priority. Louis is confident his father will live, but,” Adele took a deep breath, “but that’s the only thing he’s confident about, at this point. Adrien wasn’t conscious by the time I saw him. I don’t think he’ll wake up for quite a while.”

“Oh, Adele.” Jonathan wrapped his arms around his sister, and she began to sob. He held her without speaking for a while. “You know,” he finally said, “I’ve been an empath for thirty years now, and I can’t tell if these are sad tears or happy ones.”

Adele laughed through her sobs. “Neither can I,” she said, “and I’ve been an empath much longer than you have.” Jonathan tightened his embrace. “Oh, it’s probably a bit of everything,” she said. “I’m happy, I’m terrified, I’m relieved, I’m angry. Apparently Adrien did something extremely brave and extremely stupid and it saved us all.”

“Wow, I wonder where he got that from.”

Adele laughed again, then kissed Jonathan’s cheek. “It’s over,” she said. “It’s finally over. Go home.”

“Are you sure you don’t want me to stay here with you? I could-”

“Ferd,” Adele interrupted, “could you please take your husband back home before he collapses from exhaustion?”

Ferd smiled. “Happily.” He took Jonathan’s hand in his and led him away, with no resistance from Jonathan.

They didn’t speak during their walk back through the city to their apartment. “You fixed the door,” was the first thing Jonathan said, looking at the door that Order operatives had kicked in a week earlier.

“Yeah, I didn’t have much to do while you were busy saving the world,” Ferd said as they entered. “I wasn’t able to fix the dining room furniture, but…” Ferd trailed off as Jonathan reached their bedroom and froze.

“Ferd,” Jonathan said calmly, “why is there a cat on my side of the bed?”

“It’s your own fault for leaving your side of the bed empty for so long,” Ferd said. “I’m only human, I have needs.” Jonathan sat down next to the cat and gave her a few tentative pets. She immediately began to purr. “I named her Tamara. Queen of the Goths.”

“Easily Shakespeare’s worst play,” Jonathan said immediately. Tamara nipped playfully at Jonathan’s fingers. “I see she eats people too, just like her namesake.” Jonathan shot one final look of annoyance at Ferd, then turned back to the cat. “Welcome to the family, Tamara.”


End file.
